Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor said the move was discussed in the 1990s but would have been seen as “wanting to put out the net as far as one could”, at a time when only Anglo-Catholics within the Church of England wanted full communion with the Holy See.

He said the situation is different now as Anglicans worldwide have asked the Vatican for help, and added that he welcomed Pope Benedict XVI’s “generous” offer - although he still hopes for complete unity between the two Christian denominations.